About to withdraw your child from school? 5 things to know

About to withdraw your child from school? 5 things to know

When our members decide to begin homeschooling in Kansas or Missouri, many will withdraw their children from an existing school. Something about the school’s environment concerned them enough to pull their children out formally.

This reflects a national trend, where 91 percent of parents said a reason they homeschool is from a concern about the environment of other schools (via HSLDA).

In fact, the single most important reason for homeschooling for 25 percent of parents was from this concern about the environment of other schools. Another 74 percent of parents cited their dissatisfaction with academic instruction in other schools.

Because this is such an important decision, it helps to know the steps involved in a school withdrawal. Here’s a quick list:

NOTE: The Kansas Department of Education suggests that you make copies of your registration for your records and “for the school from which your student is withdrawn.” Making a copy for the school is not required under state law. If the school pressures you for a copy, you can politely decline (and maybe call HSLDA as a backup).

Write and submit a school withdrawal letter.

While Kansas requires a school withdrawal letter (so that your homeschool is not charged with truancy) and Missouri does not, we still recommend an official withdrawal letter for Missouri homeschoolers. The school will appreciate the courtesy of knowing why their student is not coming back!

NOTE: We’ve heard of some schools that want parents to sign a withdrawal letter that the school has already written. Sometimes these letters contain statements or intrusive documentation that you are not required to give (such as what curriculum you intend to use). As a result, we strongly recommend that you do not sign any pre-formulated withdrawal letters, but come up with your own.

Choose your method of record-keeping.

Missouri law requires homeschoolers to keep a record of at least 1,000 hours of instruction during the school term that you set. Most people use a daily log to accomplish this by notebook, form, spreadsheet, or notepad.

Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!

Shanxi Omoniyi (@ShanxiO on Twitter) is MPE's online content director. A homeschool alumna, Shanxi graduated from the University of Kansas with degrees in journalism and English. Her company, Wordspire Media, helps businesses and nonprofits share their stories through content marketing, social media management, and email marketing.

Another question for you is, what’s your child’s learning style? We recommend Cathy Duffy’s “102 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum” that helps you break down options based on the way your child learns.

Finally, we’d love to see you at our annual homeschool conference (this year is April 6-7 at the KCI Expo Center). It’s a great way to get all your questions answered quickly and check out our vendor hall to browse curriculum and other options.